"What kind of country manufactures criminal prosecutions against political opponents?"

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From a lifeline, took to the Senate floor earlier today and handed over the keys to the Department of Justice and the rule of law to Donald Trump with this speech. Watch. I am particularly concerned about episodes of apparent lawfare. DOJ bringing suits against political enemies. I am realistic that President Trump can be unrelenting on this, but this will be true no matter... who the Attorney General is, and this is the rationale for having a Senate confirmed Attorney General with more leverage to push back. Mr. Todd Blanche is not perfect, and he will tell you this, but the choice is not between perfection and Mr. Todd Blanche. It is between Mr. Todd Blanche and another acting Attorney General who may not run the Department effectively under President Trump, and who, indeed, may not be as good as Mr. Todd Blanche. All considered, I will vote for Mr. Todd Blanche. I'll be criticized for this vote. What's new? What are we even talking about? Quote, more leverage to push back? To say that about Todd Blanche, who has done everything in his power, things that Pam Bondi wouldn't even do, to reshape the Department of Justice, basically take the justice out of the Department of in Donald Trump's image. Before Bill Cassidy delivered that speech, which made Todd Blanche the Attorney General, survivors of Jeffrey Epstein's abuse sought a meeting with Bill Cassidy, writing this, quote, to Bill Cassidy, you have a record of standing with survivors of human trafficking and sexual assault. A vote to confirm Todd Blanche would be a vote against those survivors. We hope you will meet with us today and urge you to vote no on Todd Blanche's confirmation. Their request was ignored. Senate Republicans rubber stamping the attorney general confirmation of a man who's already done everything in his power to end DOJ's independence is where we begin today with Democratic Senator Adam Schiff of California. Senator, where did we go from here? Well, I sadly think that it's likely now Todd Blanche has the votes. I was deeply disappointed to hear those comments. You just aired from one of my colleagues. When you go through a litany of the reasons why somebody shouldn't be confirmed, the fact that they have abused the Department of Justice to go after the president's enemies, they incredibly not just botched but wrongful handling of the investigation into Epstein and his victims. They cover up of some of those materials on the one hand, on the other hand, pushing out materials. that exposed the victims to being victimized again by publishing their names, their photographs. This slush fund he tried to set up. You go through this long litany of abuses by the Attorney General, and you could have one of two reactions. One is to say, this person should not be the Attorney General, and we're going to oppose him. and we're going to demand the president send us someone better, or the other is to say, nonetheless, I'm going to support him because the president might send us somebody worse.

It only makes sense, I think, to defeat someone like Todd Blanche and insist on something better, insist on someone who will not go along with these collusive settlements, who won't continue to act like the president's criminal defense lawyer. And Nicole, I think you're absolutely right when you said that whether he is confirmed or is an acting, even if he's confirmed, the moment he does something the president doesn't like the president is more than willing to just fire him. So I think... That doesn't give the public any greater protection. I had Judge Esther Salas and Judge Jack Mitch McConnell on yesterday about the vitriol being directed at federal judges in the judiciary from Donald Trump, from the General Counsel at the Department of Homeland Security, who has a list called, quote, the worst or the worst about judges. And from Todd Blanche himself. Let me show you what Judge Jack Mitch McConnell said yesterday. What we're seeing right now is out of the executive branch, it appears to be an attempt to delegitimize the courts, and they're doing that through trying to delegitimize judges. The deputy attorney general, soon potentially to be the attorney general, said, we're at war with the courts, and he called people to action on it. These kind of things are not... acceptable in a democratic society where we follow the rule of law. It's across the board, people appointed by Democratic presidents, people appointed by Republican presidents, have been subjected to this personal attack on judges in an attempt to delegitimize them. It's really an attack. on the judiciary itself and the very foundation of our democracy. Senator of Democrats retake control of the Senate in the fall, what could you do to hold, in the judge's words there, quote, be executive accountable for what judges themselves say is a clear attempt to, quote, delegitimize the rule of law in America? Well, I think the judge is absolutely right about what we're seeing go on, and it is well more broad than just the judiciary. We see the president attack the press when the press reports in a way that he doesn't like. Those are enemies of the people. And likewise, any branch of government, including the judiciary that stands up to the president. And frankly, the judiciary has been the savior, at least the lower courts. During these tumultuous past two years, so many of the president's illegal actions have been shut down by judges appointed by both Democratic presidents and Republican presidents. That's been a rare, bright side in terms of our democracy. So they're going after it as part of the majority, if the majority flips. We'll be able to delve into what the department is doing or what they're not doing, what resources are being provided to help protect judges, strengthening those resources as necessary.

And I think fully expose this campaign to really endanger some of these lower court judges that we see from both the rhetoric that's being used, but also these constant attacks. To imagine that the attorney general or acting attorney general is treating a co-equal branch of government this way would have been unthinkable in the near past, but now it is an everyday occurrence. Senator, I want to show you something Todd Blanche said that to me seems to invite more questions about criminal prosecutions of people that maybe aren't as notable as a former Olympian. Here he is when asked about Janine Piro's job being on the line. Declined to say whether you stand by Jenny Perez's decision to drop that case. I'm just, what message does it send, though, if President Trump fires a U.S. attorney because she determined there was not sufficient evidence to charge four people with a crime? Did he fire her? What message would it send us, Ed? Hypothetically, if the president chose to fire a United States attorney, it turns out he's allowed to do that because he's the president of the United States.

I mean, no one was asking him that question. So back to your point about the press, it's a lack of good faith transparency from that podium. But we know they don't care about the press. What does it say to you, though, that this is a case around which there's friction and that the now likely to be confirmed attorney general is not standing on the side of the extremely political actor who simply drew a line the way Bill Barr did after. Donald Trump lost at this extraordinary play. She simply seemingly refused to manufacture evidence against someone who didn't do what Donald Trump said he did, which was to vandalize the reflecting pool, which instead was destroyed by a crappy contractor who Donald Trump hired in an obey contract. What does it say that the Attorney General won't defend his employee who seemingly refused to manufacture evidence? Well, it's so startling when I hear Todd Blanche say something like that. Turns out the president has a right to do that. What he's basically saying is the president has a right to fire a prosecutor who won't bring an illegitimate case that he wants brought. This is part and parcel with Todd Blanche saying that the president has both a right and a duty to go after his enemies. I listen to statements like that, which are unthinkable for any legitimate prosecutor. And I wonder what happened to the Todd Blanche who was once a respected prosecutor in the Southern District of New York, because he's now unrecognizable. I also feel a sense, and maybe you too, Nicole, of utter vertigo when Jeanine Piro was now the voice of reason. What world are we living in? How did that happen? But you know that you're in some totally upside-down world when she is saying, well, we need to dismiss this case because it turns out we don't have any evidence. But this is Todd Blanche, and this is why it's so appalling that he may get confirmed today. This is somebody willing to say the president is more than his rights to fire a prosecutor who doesn't bring an illegitimate case. The president can tell us to bring a case with no evidence against his enemies. That's just funny. He's a right and even a duty to do it. And what's more, I will help him. Todd Blanche is turning DOJ into a sword, the president can use to go after his enemies, a shield to protect him from IRS audits and cheating on his taxes or what his kids are doing or he's doing with meme coins and all the rest of that, all the daily corruption of this White House. Todd Blanche, sadly, we can count on to protect the president. That's why he's the nominee and for my colleagues in the Senate to go along with this. means that whether we have a rule of law on the Justice Department just doesn't matter to them, not enough to stand up to this president. And this is why our democracy is in such a precarious position right now. Senator Todd Blanche is willing to pick up retribution cases that are so shoddy, lifelong conservative prosecutors like Eric Siebert.

fled. He refused to bring the first case against James Comey. He's willing to throw out prosecutions that are so solid that other lifelong conservatives like Danielle Sassoon fled. And he's willing to pick up the garbage that Pam Bondi wouldn't touch because it stunk of corruption and politicization, which is saying a lot. You've been investigated. I wonder if you fear that you will now be prosecuted. Nicole, I really don't know because all they do is work through the press exactly the opposite of what you're supposed to do in a Justice Department. So all I know about what they've looked into with me is they found nothing and tried to dismiss the case and were told not to dismiss the case because they might get fired by the president if they do. But this is just part for the course of what I've decided to do. And I think what my colleagues have decided to do, people like Mark Kelly, Elissa Slotkin, and others that have also faced these bogus investigations by the Justice Department is just do our jobs. No, this is now, sadly, a price of doing our jobs and standing up to this president. But we also know we need to put an end to this. And I hope when we take back the House and the Senate that we can put some constraint on this. runaway justice department. And I look forward to the time in the future because I spent almost six years in that department when we can restore the integrity of that department, when we can address the rotting infrastructure of the leadership of that department. And once again, have that department stand for justice because right now it stands for anything but. Senator Adam Schiff, thank you for taking the time to talk to us today on this momentous day. When we come back, quote, if it can happen to me, it could happen to anybody. Those are the words of the former Olympian who was accused of damaging the recently renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. The Justice Department's case against him may be dismissed for now, but there is new evidence that Donald Trump and now also Todd Blanche's campaign of retribution is widening and accelerating. There's news to tell you about on those fronts, plus a federal appeals court ripped apart the Trump administration's defense. of his massive $400 million White House ballroom, setting the stage to force the Supreme Court to weigh in. And later in the broadcast, Donald Trump throwing the Republican Party under the bus for his plunging poll numbers thanks to the unpopular policies he's still pushing. Yep, that's really happening. We'll get to all those stories and much more when Deadline White House continues after a quick break. Don't go anywhere.

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Speaking of retribution, Donald Trump will not rest or relent in his efforts to get a federal reserve that will do exactly what he tells them to do, working overtime to get rid of anyone and everyone who stands in his way, even if it crashes the global economy in the process. Earlier today, the Trump administration notified Lisa Cook and her lawyer, Abby Loll, that it was attempting to revive that bogus mortgage fraud allegation against her. That's after the Supreme Court ruled that Trump could not fire her without allowing her to address the accusations against her. The Trump administration writes this, quote, pursuant to the Supreme Court's opinion, you are hereby provided notice that the president is considering removing you from your position on the board of governors of the Federal Reserve. due to there being sufficient reason to believe that you made false statements on one or more mortgage agreements. Please provide a written response with your explanation for your false statements and accompanying evidence within 21 days. Her lawyer, Abby Loll, in a statement, responded to those allegations, saying they are, quote, as baseless now as they were a year ago when President Trump tried to remove Governor Cook and interfere with the independence of the Federal Reserve. No matter what Trump tries to do next, this much is clear under the facts and Supreme Court precedent, there is no valid cause for removing Governor Cook. It is, though, all part of Trump's ever-widening campaign of retribution, which has grown from the government officials like James Comey and Letitia James, former director of the CIA, John Brennan, and other officials who sought to hold him accountable to current officials like Lisa Cook. people who he views as barriers to Trump having unfettered control over all the levers of power and governing for everyday Americans who happen to be at the wrong place at the wrong time, who the Trump administration has turned into scapegoats to hide their leaders in competence and brazen corruption. Yesterday, David Hearn, he's the Olympian who was arrested and charged with vandalism after touching Donald Trump's prized, botched, reflecting pool lining, spoke out after a judge dismissed all charges against him. He offered this alarming warning. Watch. This could happen to anybody. If it can happen to me, it could happen to anybody. Nobody's immune to this kind of government lawlessness, essentially. And it's really the kind of thing that you think a country ruled by a dictator, that's where you see that kind of thing. And this isn't, this is not the land of the free and the home of the brave that I know. The judge is expected to rule in the coming weeks about whether the charges will be dismissed with prejudice, which would mean they could not be brought again. Hearn's lawyers say that the government's own witness testified that the pool was already damaged. Donald Trump is weighing whether or not to fire.

The U.S. Attorney in D.C., Janine Piro, for dropping the charges against Hearn. I want to bring in Norm Eisen. He is the co-founder and board member of Democracy Defender's Action and the publisher of the contrarian. Eisen is representing both Hearn and Lisa Cook. Also joining us, NYU Law Professor and Legal Analyst Melissa Murray. Norm, say what you can. I understand there may be places you can't go, but... Just speak out about what your client, Mr. Hearn, has been through. Well, Nicole, I've often come on with you to talk about the corruption of the Trump administration and where it will stop. And I think the tale of Davey Hearn, an innocent three-time Olympian, many-time world champion canoeists who simply touched the reflecting bull. That is not a felony in the United States. And we were proud to represent him myself at Democracy Defenders Fund, Mary Dorman, at the Washington Litigation Group, Steve Levine at Stepto. And we hammered. through seven motions and filing since the day after his indictment that the evidence was not there. The government's own evidence proves beyond a reasonable doubt that the reflecting pool was the same before he touched it and after he touched it. And it matters because there is this pattern of persecuting innocent individuals, as Davy said. That's not America. So it tells the story of the corruption of this regime, the botched rush installation of the reflecting pool, and then looking for somebody else to blame and scapegoat. So his story is broken through, and we're far from done. We're considering all options for next steps to fully vindicate him. and hold this administration accountable. What would the next step be? Every legal option is on the table. American law abhors. targeting innocent persons. And we're looking at all other remedies. For now, the immediate next step is the judge reserved the question he threw the case out, but he said, am I going to dismiss it with prejudice? That means it's gone forever. Davey can't be charged again or without prejudice, which would leave the door open. for this vindictive harassing bad faith administration. So we're arguing it's got to go with prejudice. We brief that and the judge wants briefing back and forth. We look forward, we hope, to a full hearing on that issue. That's the immediate next step.

Norm, let me ask you a question about the lawyering that was involved. It seems to take a very sophisticated attorney to know what to ask for in terms of proving his innocence beyond a reasonable doubt. And I think about that with the kind of counsel that James Comey has and likely Letitia James and other people who have access to lawyers like you. What? Do we think is happening to people who don't have that kind of representation at the hands of this Justice Department? Well, it's very tough if you don't have that kind of representation, Nicole. But at Democracy Defenders Fund and Democracy Defenders Action, we have over 300 legal cases that matters. And we pick up the phone and make sure that anybody who is targeted in this fashion. does have the very finest legal representation. We just worked on a case with Abby Lowell of a union leader in Los Angeles who was peacefully protesting and arrested. That case has been dismissed. Very privileged to be part of the Lisa Cook legal team. So whoever it is in the United States. who gets targeted with this kind of activity. We're there to support them. We have our bipartisan judges, almost 300 of them, pointed by those of both parties. If we're not representing a defendant, we'll file briefs as we've done in the Letitia James and James Comey cases. And all of the democracy movement, it's the same way. We want people to know. You are not alone if the government comes after you. And even for powerful and important people, much less an ordinary retiree like Davy Hearn, it can be very scary. We've got their backs. Melissa, let me show you what Mark Elias said to me about at this point, now that this is the operating sort of principle of this Department of Justice, what he said about people who work on these political retribution cases. At this point, if you're a federal prosecutor working in the U.S. Attorney's Office in Washington, D.C., like, you're bringing bullshit indictments against people that then have to get dismissed. And you can justify it in your head any way you want. But, like, to David Hearn, you're just the prosecutor who did what Todd Blanche wanted. And so I think we need to stop romanticizing. whether it is, like I said, the election officials or the prosecutors, and understand that, yes, there are some really good ones, but they're also really bad ones. And it's not a marker. It's not a marker anymore to say, well, if it is said by a local election official, if it is said by a federal, a career federal prosecutor, we should have confidence in it. Like, no, like maybe we have confidence in it, or maybe we don't, depending on what they're saying.

I think the first, you know, flashing red was judges saying they no longer gave the Department of Justice the presumption of regularity, which if you're non-lawyer, I guess, means no more sort of benefit of the doubt. They no longer believe the Department of Justice operates in good faith. And then you had grand juries refusing indictments, and I grew up covering the courts thinking that you could indict a ham sandwich, right? That was the expression. I mean, just how broken. is the Justice Department in your view, Melissa? This is pretty bad. I mean, again, I go back to what Senator Schiff said a few moments ago. When Janine Piro is the voice of reason here, you know, Where are we exactly? I mean, her withdrawing those charges against Norm's client is perhaps the most moral thing that we've seen happen in this administration in a week. There's one point that I think should be emphasized. And this is related to what Mr. Hearn said, Nicole. He said the government could do this to anyone. I think we've been getting that very clear message. Mr. Hearn is just the latest and a civil example of that happening. If we think back to just a few months ago, Alex Pretti, Renee Good. That was an example of the government can do this to anyone. There are plenty of people in this country who, for many years, have been well aware of what the state can do when it wants to do something to you. But these two people, Alex Pretti and Renee Good, and now Davy Hearn. they don't look like the kind of people that you expect to be in the crosshairs of the state. And that is perhaps what is so chilling. These are just ordinary people, people who are not from marginalized communities. And here they are with the state's boots on their backs. And that should. honestly scare all of us. And the point that Norm made about representing these people when they find themselves in the tender hooks of the state, Norm's doing a yeoman's job and providing representation for them. But this administration has already done its level best to limit the availability of pro bono resources for those individuals who would actually need them. Those executive orders directed at law firms were not simply about making those law firms come to heels, about divesting needed resources at a time when people would require. require them when they were challenging or were being challenged by this government. And so this is a top to bottom job that this Department of Justice has done, that this administration has done, and we ought to think about it in the fullness of what has happened over the course of the last two years. Yeah, it is like the first thing they've applied themselves to political retribution with a whole of government approach. Not COVID, not the economy, not winning the war with Iran, but political retribution. All right, no one's going anywhere. The rest of my conversation with Mark Elias is now available. It drops tonight for premium subscribers. You just scan the QR code to sign up. The full episode will be out Monday for everybody. After a break, a judge telling Donald Trump, the White House, is not his home.

What's next for his much sought after ballroom renau when we come back? At DSW, we ask the important questions. Like, what shoes are you going to wear? Whether you're prepping for wedding season, festival season, or just planning the ultimate vacay, the right shoes can make or break an RSVP. So own the moment. You've got big plans and we've got just the shoes at the perfect price, of course. Get ready to get ready with designer shoe warehouse. Head to your DSW store or DSW.com today. And let us surprise you. The Beauty Rest Labor Day sales event is here because after getting the most out of an exquisite summer, you deserve your beauty rest. Save up to $1,000 off select Beauty Rest black mattresses and adjustable base sets featuring pocketed coil technology for our most advanced motion separation. Limited time offer. Visit beautyrest.com to find a retailer near you. People at their best get their beauty rest. Hi, I'm Angie Hicks, co-founder of Angie. From roof repair to emergency plumbing and more. When you use Angie for your home projects, you know all your jobs will be done well. Angie, the one you trust to find the ones you trust. Find a pro for your project at Angie.com. Earlier today, an appeals court ruled that Donald Trump must halt most construction. to his prized, gilded ballroom. In the ruling, the court writes, quote, each president is a temporary tenant, not the owner of the White House and its executive residence. We are aware of no instance in American history in which a president unilaterally and using privately collected funds demolished substantial portions of the White House that Congress authorized to be built and American taxpayers paid for. Until now. The court's injunction will not go into fact for 14 days to allow Trump to appeal up to the Supreme Court, which he has vowed to do. We're back with Norma and Melissa. Melissa, the appeals court goes on to say that basically. Trump is arguing that he's a king, that nobody can stop him, not even the Supreme Court. This is from the ruling. Worse still, the defendants argue that even if they're acting entirely without authority and lawlessly, no court, not the district court, this court, or the Supreme Court has the power to stop them. since the eastern wing has already been destroyed. When asked when it became impossible for courts to stop the project, the defendant stated point blank, it would have been improper to enjoin it even on day one. And so your position is that this can't be stopped by a court, that the district court, this court, the Supreme Court, no court could stop the building of this today? Answer, yes.

Imagine that you were wrong on the law. Imagine the statutes were as clear as could be, that you have no authority to do this and you've done it. There's nothing to be done. Answer, that is our position. I think a lot of people legitimately worried that we would enter, you know, this constitutional crisis where he ignored a court order. I don't think people thought it would be over a home renovation project like the ballroom. Your thoughts, Melissa. I think people would have underestimated Donald Trump's edifice complex. But it's important to note here that the president actually got a real assist from one of his appointees on this panel. This was a three-judge intermediate appellate panel of the D.C. Circuit. There were two judges who ruled against the administration and to enjoin the Ballroom project. But one judge, Judge Naomi Rao, who is a Trump appointee, issued a dissent. And basically, she said what the Trump administration is parroting here, The National Trust, which is the plaintiff here, doesn't have the authority, doesn't have legal standing to bring this case, that it is simply asserting a kind of aesthetic displeasure with the prospect of the ballroom project, not any real legal claim or injury that would be cognizable to a federal court. And that's effectively what the president is saying. We already knocked it down. We've already done it. It doesn't matter if you have an argument that Congress needs to step in here or Congress needs to authorize this before I can do it. You can't even be in court in the first instance. That's basically the argument that the president is making. Not only am I a king, but there's no court where you can walk in and challenge me. So it's actually an even more kind of pernicious and alarming argument than simply the fact of this unrefutable executive power. Norm, at a time when innocent people like your client are being targeted for criminal prosecutions and people in this country are being detained as young as small children at places like Dilley, I know it's hard to wrap your brain around a building that was knocked down. But the court does make the point that it wasn't his to knock down. I mean, the ugly, tacky things he builds in his own name with... whoever funds his projects, that is one thing. But this wasn't his house to destroy. Your thoughts? It's the people's house. And the court's opinion. made sure to highlight the fact that he has solicited contributions for this. Let's not lose sight not only of the corruption of the rule of law doing this in a way that thwarts Congress statutory oversights and requirements, but just the fact that the financial corruption that he's shaking down companies. who have the strongest interest in his decision-making to get the money for these kinds of projects. So we're litigating this one too. We have the case over the dumping of the toxic dirt from the destruction of the East Wing. It's got lead and chromium and arsenic. They put it in a public park.

dark and golf course where it's leaching into the ground. The whole thing is another example of the corruption. And these stories are starting to break through. Donald Trump is engaging in these expensive, self-serving whims. taking money out of the pockets of the American people who are struggling instead of, as he promised, putting it in their pockets. They're facing a cost, corruption, chaos, and competence crisis because of him, Nicole. And they've had it. He's got the lowest approval ratings of any modern president at this point, headed toward Nixonian territory at the depth of Nixon's corruption scandals. Yeah, I think he is the most unpopular of any president since 1946 at this point in this term. I'm Norm Eisen, Melissa Murray. Thank you for spending time with us today on all these stories. When we come back, one of the leading voices on the Oversight Committee working to hold Trump accountable right now, and especially if Democrats take back control of Congress. A quick break. We'll be right back with that.

With the few Republican holdouts capitulating to Donald Trump and clearing the way for Todd Blanche to be confirmed as Attorney General of the United States, they're once again re-traumatizing the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein's abuse who have made their cases loud and clear that Todd Blanche was at the center. of DOJ's mishandling of the Epstein files and refusal to follow the law that was passed requiring transparency. Democratic Congressman Robert Garcia of California joins us now. He's the ranking member of the House Oversight Committee. He has fought hard to keep the Epstein survivors request for transparency centered in all these conversations about the Department of Justice. Your thoughts about Bill Cassidy's acquiescence to Donald Trump's demands to confirm Toblant. I mean, look, I think first it's obviously incredibly disappointing, shameful, and really, I mean, to the survivors that have been advocating that not be confirmed. But at the same time, it's not surprising that Republicans at the end of the day are going to bend the need to Donald Trump. And that relationship with the president supporting him unconditionally continues to be the key thing that holds these Republicans together. And I think it's so important that the American public understand and know that Todd Blanche. is Donald Trump's personal lawyer. He was for years and continues to play that role. And whatever position he's in, he's always thinking about first and foremost, how do I protect Donald Trump? This is the same person that puts survivors endangered by doxing their public information, putting out photos, information about where people lives, a horrific job done to the survivors. And yet, still has half of the files under his possession of the DOJ, which is not released. And so imagine half of the evidence in this Epson investigation is still being held by Todd Blanche. And so this is really a shameful moment, certainly for the DOJ. It's unfortunate the Senate's moving this direction that's not going to stop us holding him accountable and demanding answers and the release of all the files. Congressman, when you see Todd Blanche's public treatment of Jeanine Piro, what questions do you have about how he treats less famous, less powerful prosecutors inside the Department of Justice? I mean, there is no question that Todd Blanche is unfit to lead anything. He's never led an organization of obviously of the size. His entire goal in life is to make Donald Trump happy. And I can imagine that many career folks across the DOJ right now are upset and worried because we know that Todd Blanche not just goes after of folks that he that might be have crosswires with Donald Trump, including Donald Trump's own appointees. But also, Todd Blanche supports weaponization of the DOJ. I mean, look at the fund that they created. There's still really no, I think, real security in place that this fund isn't going to come back. I mean, we've got a weaponization fund so that Donald Trump can give out money to his traitorous friends and the people that attacked the capital. And God knows who else. We have a DOJ that looks the other way when...

Donald Trump's own children and family enriches themselves at the cost of the American taxpayer. I mean, this is the most corrupt administration. Instead of actual having a check and balance of the DOJ, we instead are going to confirm Donald Trump's longtime personal lawyer to lead the Department of Justice. I mean, this is the height of corruption. This is exactly what Donald Trump wants. This is an authoritarian move and government to put the president's own former lawyer in charge of the Department of Justice. If Democrats take control of the House, what will you subpoena first? Look, day one and day two, and I've said this very clearly, we're going to first focus on Trump family corruption. I mean, all of these companies that are in bed with the Trumps that are enriching themselves at the costs at the American public, the defense contracts, the crypto schemes, all of this money that is being poured into these investment funds that the Kushners have. That is going to be investigated heavily. And then on day two, we're actually going to ensure that we get justice for the survivors and have real subpoenas. on the Epson investigation. We're going to make sure that we're bringing folks to actual hearings, putting them under oath like the Republicans refused to do. Having at least one public hearing on the Epson investigation, which Republicans have refused to do. They're running sham investigations to protect Donald Trump, to protect those that abused women and children. And those two investigations will be at the top of our list, taking on this Trump crime family and getting justice for the survivors. Congressman Robert Garcia, thank you for joining us today. When we come back, journalist Don Lemon is asking a court to throw out the Trump Justice Department's case against him. We'll fill you in on that next.

It's the latest move to push back and fight back against Donald Trump's politicized and weaponized Department of Justice. Independent journalists and familiar face to our viewers, Don Lemon, today is asking a federal judge to dismiss charges stemming from his presence at a Minnesota protest inside a church back in January, arguing it is a vindictive prosecution. From that filing, quote, The record could not be more clear that Mr. Lemon has been a persistent target of President Trump's ire before the events in Minnesota, that the Justice Department acted on the president's animus by filing unprecedented charges against a journalist for doing his job, that DOJ was willing to take extraordinary measures to circumvent the rulings of judges, calling in to question its actions, that DOJ made sure to exact maximum punishment. by ignoring Mr. Lemon's counsel's request to arrange a proper surrender, and by publicly bragging about the arrest as if it was some type of bloodsport, and by the continued verbal attacks on Mr. Lemon as recently as a few weeks ago. We'll stay on top of this development for you. After a break, Donald Trump does not sound like a president who wants his party to win elections or remain in power next year. Trump and the GOP continuing to willfully ignore what voters say they want. The next hour of deadly White House starts after a quick break. Don't go anywhere. More people. More devices. More AI. The way we live today takes a lot of energy. Wind and solar are powerful, but not always available. That's where natural gas comes in, with reliable energy whenever it's needed. Companies like energy transfer work behind the scenes, safely transporting these resources to facilities across the country through a network of underground pipelines. Learn more at it takesenergy.com.